Green Infrastructure: Building with Nature

On Saturday, April 28, 2018, ICA and the Uptown Coastal Initiative hosted the ninth and final session of the Out and About Uptown's Coast series.

The session started with a group discussion to define the term "green infrastructure." Participants brainstormed different words associated with "green" and "infrastructure" to deepen the context of the session.

Melanie Eckner started the presentations with a historical perspective on Uptown's coast, highlighting the influence of green infrastructure from the past to present day. Carl Giometti from Chicago Ornithological Society presented on bird-safe building design and shared ways for people in the room to take action in their own homes and advocate for bird-safe building standards.
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During the coastal walk, Nelson Borelli and Jaqueline Roig from the Purple Martin Monitoring Program informed the group about their efforts as Chicago Park District volunteers to provide stewardship to the purple martin birdhouses and demonstrated some of the regular upkeep, such as raising and lowering the birdhouses. Susan Ask from animalia project led the tour through the Montrose Beach Dunes and Bird Sanctuary and explained how the coastal infrastructure enables the sanctuary and
dunes to continue to thrive.

Thanks to our Partners:

About Out and About Uptown's Coast 

Out & About Uptown's Coast partnered with the Uptown Coastal Initiative to raise awareness of Uptown's lakefront and parks through nine experiential, educational sessions that offer attendees rich opportunity for meaningful engagement with the ecology and culture of this Great Lakes coastal community.

The project connected residents, workers, and visitors, and strengthen links between the well-being of the coastal ecosystem and the health and well-being of those who live, work, and visit Uptown’s coast.

Highlighting local expertise and creating a space for diverse attendees to learn about and explore the area together, each session’s unique lens targeted different subjects and circle back to universal accessibility to and stewardship of Uptown’s coast across a spectrum of disciplines.

At the close of Out & About Uptown's Coast, the Uptown Coastal Initiative team created a toolkit highlighting the different approaches taken and lessons learned to help inform future programming as well as participant stewardship and engagement around sustainability in the coast.
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For more information about Out and About Uptown's Coast, contact coastalinitiative@ica-usa.org.